The Dempsey Challenge

I participated in the Inaugural "Dempsey Challenge" yesterday. Many people don't realize that Patrick Dempsey (aka Dr. McDreamy) is from Buckfield Maine and went to high school in the Lewiston area. So, when he decided to "give back to his community" he founded "The Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing" at CMMC in Lewiston. The Dempsey Challenge included several cycling events as well as a 5K race. Patrick did the 50 mile ride.....since I look ridiculous in bike shorts, I did the 5K run. (Patrick, by the way looks fantastic in bike shorts). The sky was gray and it was kind of damp and cold yesterday morning as we gathered in the staging areas for our various events. People stood around, drank coffee, ate bagels and waited for the event to begin. At about 7:45, Patrick (we're on a first name basis now) stepped up to the stage and look out at the 3500 participants and the look on his face was absolutely priceless.
I wish I could have known what was going through his mind at that moment. Pride, amazement, gratitude, all of the above probably. I think he truly was amazed at what he had started. There were teams of people in matching t-shirts. Many had a motivation...a picture of a relative who had died of cancer......a friend who was a survivor, some were survivors themselves...living to tell their tale. I choked up then, and I choke up now just thinking about it. So inspiring. The Maine State Police were 140 members strong on their team, in their matching blue shirts, running the 5k and shouting out their cheers.
The most striking group for me was "Ali's Rack Pack." A group of women all in pink t-shirts, wearing festively adorned bras on the outside of their t-shirts. A rowdy bunch who smiled from ear to ear as they headed to the start line. What I only found out later, is this group was walking in memory of their friend, sister, mother, daughter, Ali who had passed away from Breast Cancer only 3 weeks before. I am sure Ali was smiling down on them yesterday! I am in awe of their grace and determination despite what I am sure is intense grief. And I can only hope that every woman who saw these women....will heed their advice and get a mammogram!

So, I guess all I can say is.....well done Patrick! What started a small way as a way of giving back to the community, quickly became bigger than all of us. I am proud to say I raised almost $900 for the cause, which seems miniscule in contrast the the $1Million raised from the event, but as they say, every little bit counts. I am even prouder to say I will definitely be back next year. This is what life is about. It's cold, damp, tragic, inspiring, funny, grueling, rewarding and so many other things. An event like this helps you remember that.
I hope I never forget.

Jill

By the way, they had an exposition tent and many of the tables were giving away door prizes. Of course, in channeling my Nana, I signed up for every door prize and guess what I won?
FREE BOTOX. So, the next time you see me, if I look slightly surprised...it's not my mood, it's the botox. :-)

Friendship

Mark and I have just finished up a lovely weekend with some good friends. On Saturday, we went to their house for a good old downeast lobster boil and then on Sunday, they came to our place for Lobster Bisque and steaks on the grill. Both evenings were wonderful and relaxing and filled with laughter. This particular couple are fairly new friends of ours, as we have only known them for a few years and only recently started seeing them socially. But, talk about kismet, we both have 5 year old kiddos who love to play together, and we have so much in common with them.
So this got me thinking about friendship in general and how, in our crazy hectic lives, we often don't make enough time for adult relationships. Sometimes, we are just so busy running our kids to school and soccer and play dates that we forget that we, the adults, need a social life too. And I totally understand that, for many of us, we have precious little time to spend with our cherubs, that we hate to leave them home with a babysitter on a Saturday night. I get that. That's why I say, schlep em along. I almost always invite the children when I have a couple over for dinner. Because, I know, for some people, it's the only way they will get out of the house.
We do have some friends, who, since they have had children, we rarely see. And that bums me out. I don't want to seem too judgmental here, but I feel that friendship takes work. I know that it's often easier to stay home on a Saturday night, laying on the couch cuddling with your kiddos because this type of behavior makes sure their routine isn't disrupted. And I enjoy that kind of time just as much as the next mom. But, I think, if your doing that every weekend, you are really missing the boat. Sometimes, you have to inconvenience yourself a little bit and pack up the kiddos, put on some lipstick and head over to a friends house. Or, if that's too much for you, invite em over to your place. You really should. Because, otherwise, friendships slip away and you lose touch and then someday, it might be too late to get it back. As a mom, I am simply unwilling to forgo friendship, just because I have children. I think they are even more important now and my friends help me retain some level of my sanity.
Do me a favor..today...call up a friend you haven't seen in a while and make plans to get together soon. Remember what my mom taught me many years ago....
You have to be a friend...to have a friend.

WEATHER

Have you ever noticed that some people are never happy with the weather? Remember back in June and July when it rained.....like...EVERYDAY? And everyone was bitching and moaning about it. "Hey, I wonder if the sun is ever going to shine again?" "It seems like it rains every day." "It's so damp, I haven't even had to put my air conditioner in the window....this sucks."
Yup, that's what we heard, day in and day out. Oh, I'll admit it, I was saying it too. Then, all of a sudden in August, the sun came out.....and how! I swear that the sun has been shining almost non-stop since August 1st. We have had almost 17 days of straight sunshine. That's a little over two weeks. And now you know what?......people are bitching about the heat. "It's so hot, I can't stand it." "I'm melting." "I wish the sun would go behind the clouds for a second just to cool things off."
Jesus people, make up your mind. It's funny, we have been waiting for this all year and then it gets here and two weeks later, we are bored with it. With football entering pre-season, alot of people are already getting excited about crisp fall days and apple pie and red wine and cider and all that stuff. Now, I love that stuff as much as the next guy, but could I please have just a few weeks of Sangria, Margaritas, Sweet Corn, Fresh Tomatoes and Sunshine before we move on to the next damn season?
I think I finally figured it out....we are a nation of people with short attention spans. We love to "look forward" to things. So much that we don't enjoy it when it gets here because we are on to the next great thing. Do me a favor. Do yourself a favor. Relax. Sit on the deck. Drink some lemonade. Play some volleyball. There will be plenty of time for Hot Toddies and Cider and Beef Stew in November. For now, drink in the sun, enjoy the heat, crank up the AC if you want to .....summer's here and it will be gone before you know it.

FORTY! (i even spelled it right)

Well, here I am....it's my birthday and I am now......40 years old! And you know what? I feel freaking fantastic. I have a fresh manicure, pedicure, eyebrow wax.....I feel like a hundred dollars. All day, I have received warm thoughts and messages from friends far and wide wishing me a happy birthday. How great is that!?! I went out to lunch at the Sea Dog with Matty P. and we had fun putting together his new Lego Pirate Raft (It's my birthday and he gets a present-go figure). I came home and worked in the yard for a few hours and now I just cracked the cork on a lovely Pinot Grigio. A good friend is coming over shortly to help me celebrate my 40th birthday happy hour. It's all good. So, the day I have been dreading is here and it ain't half bad. A friend at work got me this book, it's called "How not to look old." She did it as a goof, but I must tell you, I love it. Since I started reading it I have switched lipstick colors, reconsidered bangs and had my eyebrows shaped differently. How handy! I am always amazed at the thoughtfulness of others. A dear old friend who I haven't seen in years because she lives far away sent me the most amazing care package. It included a big ol wine glass (we all know I can use that) a "Seventeen" magazine (you're never too old for boyfriend tips) and a Super Leopard Print Snuggie Deluxe....aka the WTF blanket. This little package made my day. Not merely for the contents, but more for the warmth and caring that went into it. It's amazing because this woman changed my life when I had the honor of working for her because she was truly one of the greatest leaders I have ever encountered, but now today, so many years later, she still continues to make an impact on me. Thank you Jody, you are still an Amazing Woman and great friend. Another great friend got me this book called, "Run Like a Girl, Igniting the spark for your next great adventure." It is beautiful and perfect and such a thoughtful gift, I get all Vklempt just reading it.
So, to all of you who I have been whining to about my 40th birthday for months and months....sorry. It's actually not bad at all. I feel great....my boobs are still in the right place....I still have the greatest husband in the world who loves me unconditionally....I still have the best friends anyone could ever ask for....I have a strong faith in god.....and a truly blessed life. I am looking forward to the next 40 years. I hope you all come along with me for the ride on my "next great adventure."
J

Saying Goodbye

My heart is breaking. Right this very second, it feels as if it has been ripped into small pieces. We just said goodbye to our 14 year old daughter. She is moving to Oklahoma to live with her mother. (I am her step-mom). We have known this day was coming for months now and we had plenty of time to prepare, but that doesn't change the fact that, this morning, I am devastated. We are devastated. We all know that someday, we will say goodbye to our children and send them out in to the world, I just didn't think it would be this soon. There's so much I still have to say, so much to teach her and tell her. There are so many hugs that I am missing already. Cuddles and the soft sound of her saying, "I love you" from down the hallway. God I am going to miss that.
It's not like we are saying goodbye forever, she will be back for Thanksgiving break and Christmas Break and Summer Vacation, but that gives me little solace right now. It's hard to imagine life at Parker's Nest without her. I am sure we will adjust and adapt and find ways to connect with her via email and phone and facebook, whatever it takes. But for right now...none of that gives me much peace. I just wanted that plane to turn around and bring her back right this very second. That's not going to happen though. And that's why my heart is breaking. and that's all I have to say about that.

Beach 2 Beacon Redux...

I am laying on my bed right now.....5 days before my 40th birthday. I have a frozen bottle of water at the end of the bed icing my heel and I have a huge bag of "Party Ice" resting on my right hip and I feel fantastic. I just ran my 4th Beach 2 Beacon 10K this morning. On 5 hours sleep. Ya see, I took our 14 year old daughter to see Taylor Swift last night at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. We left Boston at about 10:00 PM, got back to the hotel in Scarborough at Midnight. I fell asleep at 1:00 and I was up at 6:00 AM this morning to get ready for the race.
I finished this year's race with my worst 10k time ever....1:10:59. I still feel marvelous about it. Let me run down the morning's events and maybe you will understand where I am coming from.
It was a warm (ok, hot) August morning. When I got to the start, I was very discombobulated and somewhat foggy due to my lack of sleep. Usually, I get there really early, do a warm up run and ton of stretches. I had time for none of that this morning. I got there, met up with my friend Leslie and immediately got in the portapotty line. 20 minutes later, it was 5 minutes to eight and we had to start queueing up. The gun goes off, we walk for about 500 yards because there are so many runners, but finally we start running. I felt pretty good to start off but somewhere after mile one....a dreadful ache started building in my right hip. It's been happening on and off lately so this is nothing new. So , I sent Leslie ahead and I started walking. Now, the young immature 39 year old me wanted to keep running, damn the pain to hell. The smart, more mature 40 year old me....decided not to be stupid and to take it easy. After about 1/4 mile, I started jogging again, nice and easy, and it felt....ok. Not great, but ok.
Now, did I mention it was hot.......like Africa Hot. Fortunately the good people of Cape Elizabeth like to cheer on us B2B runners and spray us with their garden hoses. BEAUTIFUL!
As I continued to chug along at a penguin's pace ( a little shout out to Mr. Bingham) I started this great, positive conversation with myself. "Jill, you're gonna be 40 in 5 days and you are out on the road, listening to the pounding of your own feet on the pavement as you finish your 4th 10K and your 8th race this summer!" I felt like a Rock Star. I would look to the side of the road and some great spectator would say something like, "You're awesome Jill (my name is on my bib)"
So.....I ground it out.....and it was probably the most rewarding race I have ever run. I realized that all that crap about "woe is me, I am turning 40" is just crap. Being 40 just means I am a little older, a little wiser and not afraid to come in 4,965th out of 5,600 runners. Who cares where I finished....the bottom line is.....I finished.
Now, let's not kid ourselves...I am really sore right now and I likely will be even more achy tomorrow. But that's just a nice reminder...of my accomplishment.
So let's look back to when I started this blog last Thanksgiving. All jammed up about turning 40 years old. Vowing to train for a half marathon and lose weight in the process before I turn 40. I am not ashamed to tell you that I haven't (yet) run the 1/2 Marathon. I am also not ashamed to tell you that I haven't lost much weight either. But I did "Run to Fourty" (note I mispelled fourty on purpose) and I feel great. And I am going to keep running to my next birthday and the next and the next. I am a runner. I run like a girl. And that feels freaking fantastic!

Why I love 5K races.....

I have been running many 5K races lately. I think I have run six different races in the last 10 weeks so, more often than not, if your looking for me on a Saturday Morning, I am probably at a 5K race. And here's why I love them. Anyone can do it. Unlike Marathons, 10K's, triathalons etc. The 5K race is the everyman's race. Even if you haven't run in decades, you could probably choke and wheeze your way through a 5K. It's a classic entry level race that's not very intimidating. Sure, sometimes you get to the race and you see that only 80 people are running and 90% of the field is under the age of 20 years old (this happened to me this morning), and you resign yourself to the fact that you have more body fat in your left elbow than some of these kids have on their whole body, but so be it. You are still making the distance, same as them, just a little slower. Ok, a lot slower, but who gives a diddly? It's still fun, there's still food at the end and you still get a free tshirt. Oh, I almost forgot, it's also good for you.
I tend to like the bigger 5K's that have a wider field so I know there are at least 50 or 60 people who I may (and I emphasize "may") be able to outrun. That always feels good. Knowing you just passed the octogenarian with the "will run for beer" t-shirt. Talk about redemption! Small races are fun too. There's something nice about hanging out after a race on a cool summer morning with about 50 or 60 people you have never met before who all have the same thing in common. They would rather run with their friends than stay under the covers. I always meet interesting people and I usually have one or two women who seem to keep the same pace as me and we seem to help each other along. There's usually one fan/family member on the side lines who offers me a high five at Mile 2 when they don't even know me. That's what's cool.
So, if you are looking for me on a Saturday morning around 8 or 9 AM, you will likely find me around the registration tent of a 5k. Getting my number and my t-shirt and trying to find the nearest port-a-potty. Even if I never break 30 minutes, and even if I never have another PR again, I will be there, because it gives me a sense of accomplishment and fellowship that I can't get anywhere else. That's why I love 5K's!